NEWTON, PANTHERS HEADED FOR REUNION
A reunion between Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers is now a reality.
ESPN reported contract terms of up to US$10 million for rest of the season and $4.5 million fully guaranteed with a $1.5-million roster bonus.
Newton, 32, was a free agent and had remained unsigned since the New England Patriots released him in August. Newton starred for the Panthers for nine seasons and was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2011. He was NFL MVP in 2015 and led the Panthers to Super Bowl 50 that season, a loss to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos.
Free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will play the rest of the 2021 season with the Los Angeles Rams, the team announced Thursday. In Los Angeles, Beckham will join a team that already features wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods. Kupp leads the NFL in receptions (74), receiving yards (1,019) and touchdowns (10) this season.
The Rams (7-2) are viewed around the league as being in “win-now” mode. They acquired Matthew Stafford last winter to become their new starting quarterback.
England rugby coach Eddie Jones has written to British teenage tennis player Emma Raducanu to clarify comments he made last week in which he suggested her poor form was connected to embracing a celebrity lifestyle after her U.S. Open victory.
Jones, speaking in the immediate aftermath of England’s victory over Tonga, was discussing England’s 22-year-old flyhalf Marcus Smith and the importance of avoiding off-pitch distractions and said: “There’s a reason why the young girl who won the U.S. Open hasn’t done so well afterwards,” mentioning Raducanu’s magazine cover shoots and fashion deals.
The Australian was criticized in some quarters for not using 18-year-old Raducanu’s name in the wake of her remarkable victory and by others for what they considered a misguided analysis.
Raducanu has struggled since her incredible New York success as a qualifier, winning just two matches in total in the three tournaments she has entered.
Asked on Thursday about his comments, Jones told the BBC: “The whole point was how difficult it is for young players to cope with distractions. So the point I made was not wrong ... there was no criticism of Emma.
“I don’t have any misgivings about what I said — I am disappointed it was taken out of context — and I would be disappointed if Emma was upset by it.
“It was deemed as being sexist and that was never the aim. I have sent her a letter just to reinforce that and hopefully we’ll see her at Twickenham shortly.”
Premier League clubs have unanimously opposed FIFA’S plans for a biennial World Cup and extended international breaks from 2024, the league’s chief executive Richard Masters said on Thursday.
Soccer’s world governing body is considering holding the global showpiece event every two years instead of every four once the international match calendar is revamped after 2024.